At The Hasting's House
Nobody's Pov

Veronica & Peter Hastings were in the living room, watching T.V, trying to pass some time since their kids were all out at the moment.

They heard a knock at the door and Peter got up to answer it.

When he made it to the door, he opened it, only to reveal the police officer, Barry.

"Mr. Hastings" the police officer, Barry, greeted.

"Oh, good evening Barry. Is everything alright?" Peter asked, worry and concern coursing through his body.

Veronica walked over to Peter, wanting to know what was going on and why there was a police officer at their house right now.

"What's going on? Is something wrong?" Veronica asked.

"I'm afraid so. It just came over the radio. I'm sorry, but your son's been involved in an accident" Barry said, giving them both sad looks.

Their eyes widen in shock and disbelief.

Veronica covered her mouth in horror as tears slowly escaped her eyes and streamed down her cheeks.

Peter pulled his wife into a tight hug, trying to hold back his own tears.

Meanwhile, Back At The Camp

Aria, Spencer, Emily and Hanna all stood together, watching as Ethan was lifted onto a stretcher and placed into the ambulance.

Spencer and Hanna held onto each other, tears streaming down their faces as they sobbed together.

Everyone from Camp Mona had gathered around when they heard what happened. Everyone, and I mean everyone, was crying and worried about what happened to Ethan.

Mona walked over to random girl, and when she saw Ethan on the stretched and getting loaded into the ambulance, her eyes widened in shock and she gasped.

"Is that Ethan?" Mona asked the girl, and when the girl nodded, Mona had tears streaming down her face.

Once Ethan was placed into the ambulance, the paramedics closed the door and soon they drove off to get him to the hospital.

Spencer and Hanna were still holding onto each other, crying and sobbing.

Spencer was worried about her brother. She prayed with everything that he was going to be ok. She doesn't want to lose him.

Hanna was beating herself up about what happened to Ethan. A was after her, not Ethan. She should've thought faster and pushed him out of the way instead. She should've gotten hit by that car, not Ethan. Not her best friend, not her brother in everything but blood.

Aria and Emily looked at their two best friends and frowned.

"We have to get to the hospital" Aria said, snapping Spencer and Hanna out of their thoughts.

"Are you guys ok to drive?" Emily asked.

Spencer wiped her tears, slowly releasing Hanna from the hug as she nodded.

"Yeah, I guess so" Spencer shrugged, taking out her car keys.

All of them nodded and started to walk away, wanting to get to the hospital to find out more about Ethan.

Aria stopped walking when she noticed a figure in a black hoodie. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw their face. It was Noel, and he was staring straight at her.

Aria turned around for a second before looking back, only to frown when she saw that he was no longer there.

She shook her head and ran off to catch up with the girls. She couldn't worry about that right now. Her best friend, her brother in everything but blood, was in the hospital. That's what's important.

At The Hospital

The girls were in the waiting room, sitting on the couch.

Peter and Veronica arrived and immediately went to ask about their son. They wanted to know if he was going to be alright.

Aria and Emily were on the phone. Talking to their parents. While Spencer was on the phone talking to Alex.

"Ethan's parents are with the doctor. I'm ok. They don't know who was driving the car" Emily said.

"We were at Mona's party, Hanna and Ethan both got a text. So we were going to the parking lot to meet them. The car came out of nowhere. Ethan pushed Hanna out of the way and got hit instead" Aria explained, hugging her knees.

Hanna had called her mom when they were in the car and when they arrived at the hospital, her mom was already there.

As soon as Hanna saw her mom she ran into her arms and started crying and sobbing. She was still blaming herself for Ethan getting hit by the car. Her mother, Ashley Marin, was comforting her daughter as best as she could.

"He was unconscious. We couldn't talk to him. That's why we want to wait, maybe they'll let us see him or something" Spencer said.

She was hugging herself with her arm while talking to Alex. She managed to stop crying, but her eyes were still red and her face was covered in tear streaks.

She spotted her mother walking over to them. Her father was talking to the police.

"Um, let me call you back when I know something. Bye, Alex" Spencer said before hanging up.

Aria and Emily said goodbye to their parents before hanging up and got up from the couch.

Hanna and her mother turned around to see Veronica walking towards them.

"Is he ok, Mrs. Hastings?" Aria asked, wanting to know if Ethan is alright.

Spencer looked at her mother with worried eyes. Veronica wiped her tears away and cleared her throat.

"He is going to be alright. He, uh, he has a broken leg and a broken ankle, bruised ribs, and they might have to remove his spleen" Veronica explained, trying to fight back more tears that were threatening to spill.

Everyone released breaths of relief.

Hanna cried more and hugged her mother tighter, Ashley kissed her daughters forehead and tried to calm her down.

Spencer sighed in relief, knowing that her brother was going to be alright.

Veronica closed her eyes before reopening them and looking at the girls.

"What happened?" Veronica asked, giving her daughter and her friends a stern look.

The girls glanced at each other before Aria cleared her throat and began talking.

"Hanna and Ethan were coming across the parking lot, and this car just came out of nowhere" Aria explained.

Hanna sniffled and picked her head up from her mothers chest to look at Veronica.

"Ethan pushed me out of the way but got hit instead" Hanna said, putting her head back on her mothers chest and hugging her tighter.

Ashley sighed and kissed her daughters head before looking at the girls and Veronica.

"Well, the police found the car. They said it was stolen from a campground lot" Ashley explained.

"Did they catch the driver?" Emily asked.

"No, not yet" Ashley said.

"Unfortunately" Veronica muttered bitterly under her breath.

"Well, the cops should be looking for Toby Cavanaugh" Spencer angrily said, crossing her arms.

Ashley and Veronica both shook their heads at that.

"It wasn't Toby Cavanaugh. The police picked him up last night" Ashley said.

"What?" Emily asked, her eyes wide in shock.

"One of the officers told me they found him hiding in town, and they were bringing him into the station when they got the call about Ethan" Veronica explained.

The girls all glanced at each other, not knowing what to say.

Emily was worried, she knew that Ethan was friends with Toby and when he finds out he's gonna be angry.

Hanna lifted her head from her mothers chest to look at Veronica with guilty eyes.

"Mrs. Hastings. I'm so, so sorry. It should've been me in-" Hanna started but Veronica cut her off.

"Hanna, sweetie, don't apologize for something that's not your fault" Veronica softly said.

She gently grabbed her hand and rubbed the top of her hand with her thumb.

"We all know that Ethan is protective of all you girls. He always has been. He would never let anything bad happen to any of you. And if there's one thing we all know about him is that he's a survivor" Veronica explained with a small smile.

Ashley nodded and placed her fingers under her daughters chin and gave her a reassuring smile.

"It's not your fault, sweetie. Ethan saved your life. He may have gotten hit but he still survived. He's going to be alright" Ashley softly said.

Hanna didn't say anything, she just gave them a small smile and nodded.

Veronica let out a sad sigh and ran her hand through her hair.

"You girls should go home. I will call you when Ethan can have visitors" Veronica said.

"No, mom I want to st-" Spencer started but her mother cut her off.

"Spencer, sweetie, you need to go home and get some rest. You all do. I'll call you when your brother is allowed visitors" Veronica softly but sternly said.

Spencer knew better then to argue with her mother so she sighed and nodded.

"Just let Ethan know that we were here" Aria said.

"I will...when he wakes up" Veronica nodded.

Veronica hugged Spencer and kissed her forehead before walking away to talk to her husband.

Ashley said her goodbyes to the girls before leaving with Hanna, wanting to get her home so she can calm down and rest.

When Ashley and Hanna were gone, the girls looked at each other.

"Toby isn't A" Emily said, looking at Spencer with a stern look.

"Well, Hanna and Ethan know who is. That's why A tried to kill them. And that bitch nearly killed my brother" Spencer angrily spat.

When they find out who A is, Spencer will kill them with her bare hands for nearly killing her brother.

"Should we talk to Hanna and ask her who A is?" Aria asked.

"No, no not know. She's not in the best state to talk right now" Emily argued, shaking her head.

Spencer nodded and Aria sighed, running her hands through her hair.

"You think they're just trying to scare us?" Emily asked.

"Well, it worked" Aria scoffed.

"This was never about scaring us, that was just a bonus. This started with murder. We were crazy to think that it wouldn't end up like this" Spencer explained.

The girls all glanced at each other, not knowing what to do anymore.

"So should we tell the cops?" Emily asked.

"Tell them what?" Aria asked.

"Everything" Emily said, her voice cracking at the end.

"We don't know everything" Spencer argued, already getting frustrated.

"So what do we do?" Aria asked, getting frustrated too.

Spencer sighed and rubbed the back of her neck and shrugged.

"Well, when Hanna calms down and is ready to talk, we talk to her and Ethan before we do anything" Spencer said.

"Is Ethan safe here?" Aria asked in worry.

Emily glanced at Spencer in worry. Spencer looked at her and Aria before looking back at her parents, who were talking to the doctor.

She bit her lip before shaking her head and turning back to her two best friends.

"Yeah. I mean, nothing will happen to him while my parents are with him" Spencer said.

Aria and Emily looked unsure, but they nodded either way.

Spencer nodded and gestured for them to follow her as she started walking towards the exit. They followed her and they all left the hospital to go back home.

At The Hastings House

Spencer opened the door to her house and walked inside, closing the door behind her.

She continued walking until she was in the living room. She set her bag down and sighed, frustrated and tired.

Melissa was in the kitchen when she heard her little sister walking in and walked closer to her.

"Mom said you called. Are you alright?" Melissa asked in worry.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm ok" Spencer nodded, moving some of her hair away from her face, trying to fight back more tears.

"What happened?" Melissa asked.

Spencer looked at her for a few seconds before her lips trembled, tears streamed down her face as she walked over to her and hugged her.

"A car hit Ethan" Spencer sobbed into her older sisters should.

Melissa's eyes widened when she said that as she hugged her sister back, tears already streaming down her cheeks.

"A car? Who was driving?" Melissa asked, holding onto her sister tightly.

"We don't know" Spencer said.

"They didn't stop?" Melissa asked, pulling away from the hug to look at her sister in the eye.

"No, they just...Hanna and Ethan were coming across the parking lot, this car came out of nowhere and was about to hit them when Ethan pushed Hanna out of the way. She's fine, but Ethan took the hit. When he was knocked down they just drove away" Spencer explained, her eyes red from crying.

"Oh my god" Melissa gasped, covering her mouth in horror as more tears streamed down her cheeks.

Spencer opened her mouth to say something when the door opened.

She turned around and her eyes widened when she saw Ian.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Ian asked, his eyes wandering over to Melissa.

Spencer, still in shock, didn't say anything and just looked between him and her crying sister.

"It's Ethan" Melissa said.

Melissa made her way to Ian and hugged him, him hugging her back and placing a kiss to her head. Letting her sob and cry over her little brother.

Spencer was shocked at seeing Ian at their house.

Melissa looked at Spencer, her eyes still red from crying.

"Spence, go to bed and get some rest. You need it. I'll go check on Ethan tomorrow" Melissa said.

"I'll go with you" Ian softly said, rubbing her back up and down.

Melissa just nodded, hugging him tighter as she continued to cry over her little brother.

Spencer didn't say anything. She just walked upstairs to head to her room and get some rest.

The Next Day
Ethan's Pov

I felt myself coming to, coming back, waking up from whatever sleep I was in.

I didn't open my eyes, I couldn't, not just yet. But I was able to hear again, and so far I could hear beeping noises from machines, noises that you would hear from a hospital.

I could also hear people talking, not clearly, but I could hear distant muffling.

Finally, I felt my eyes beginning to open. Slowly, very slowly, they fluttered open and I released a small groan.

Finally my eyes were fully open. My vision was blurry but I blinked a few times and managed to gain it back.

When my vision was clear, the first thing I saw was my mother. 

I was lying in a hospital bed, my mother sitting on the side of my bed. A soft relieved smile on her face, one hand was caressing my cheek while the other hand was resting on my shoulder.

"Mom" I whispered.

"Hey honey" Mom whispered back.

She leaned down and placed a soft kiss to my forehead, making me smile.

"Ethan" I heard Melissa gasp.

I slowly turned my head around to see Melissa sitting on the other side of my bed, with Ms. Marin standing behind her.

"Hey big sis, how are you?" I asked, smiling slightly.

She chuckled at that, a few tears streaming down her cheeks as she moved her hand to caress my other cheek.

She leaned down and kissed my forehead, smiling softly at me.

"Are you ok? How do you feel?" Melissa softly asked.

"Like I just got hit by a car" I scoffed.

This made the three of them fondly roll their eyes at me but release small chuckles.

But at the mention of getting hit by a car, my eyes widened and I looked at Ms. Marin.

"Wait, is Hanna ok? Did she get hurt?" I asked, worry washing over my eyes.

Ms. Marin smiled softly at me and nodded, making me sigh in relief.

"Thank lords" I said.

"Ethan, words can't even describe how grateful I am for you saving my daughters life. I just want to say thank you" Ms. Marin softly said.

"It's fine, Ms. Marin. I just did what I would've done for any of the girls" I smiled at her.

A small tear escaped her eye as I said that and she once again gave me a soft smile.

I looked at Mom, who had an angry frown on her face as she gently caressed my cheek.

"When they find the maniac that did this to you, I will kill them. And after that I'll make sure he gets a maximum life sentence in prison" Mom sternly said.

I chuckled at that and shook her head.

Mom can be very, very, angry whenever one of her kids get hurt.

"Mom, where's Aria, Spencer and Emily?" I asked, looking around for my sister and friends.

"They were all here but I sent them home. They needed it after everything" Mom said, removing her hand from my cheek.

"Ian was here too, he bought you a 'get well' gift for when you woke up" Melissa said.

I turned around and my eyes widened at the multiple gifts on a nearby table.

"Damn, did the entire neighborhood come to see me?" I asked, jokingly.

"The girls from Mona's party came over early in the morning. They wanted to make sure you were ok and before they went home they dropped off their gifts for you" Mom said.

"A few people from school dropped by as well. Sean and a few of his friends came by" Ms. Marin said.

"And a boy named Lucas. Who's he, exactly?" Melissa asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He's a friend" I said.

I looked at the gifts and smiled. It warmed my heart to know that so many people cared about me.

They didn't really need to get me gifts, but I'm grateful either way.

I sighed and laid my head against my pillow, closing my eyes, feeling a bit tired.

"Mom, can you call the girls? I wanna see them" I asked.

"Of course honey" Mom nodded.

She kissed my forehead before getting up to call the girls and tell them to get over here.

"Ethan, lil bro, get some rest. You're still tried, I can tell, go back to bed. The time you wake up, Spencer and the others will be here" Melissa softly said, running her hands through my hair.

I sighed and nodded, knowing that there was no point in arguing with her.

Melissa placed one last kiss to my forehead, I smiled at that and allowed myself to drift back to sleep.

A Few Minutes Later

After my nap the girls were already in my room the second I woke up.

Damn, they were really that worried about me.

As soon as I sat up from my bed, they all engulfed me in a tight ass hug. Clinging onto me as if I were their lifeline.

Hanna hit my chest a few times, scolding me for doing what I did.

I don't regret it. I don't care if I got hurt, if it meant my best friends, my twin sister would be safe then so be it.

After the hugs, we began chatting.

But since mom was here, we couldn't talk about the A situation in front of her.

"Does it hurt?" Spencer softly asked, gesturing to my leg.

"Yeah, kind of" I shrugged, not really in pain.

"Do you remember what happened?" Aria asked, glancing at my mom before looking back at me.

"Yeah" I nodded,playing with my fingers.

It was obvious that we were itching to talk about the A situation, but with mom here we weren't able to do so.

I love my mom, but she needed to leave, now.

"Mom, you've been here the whole time. Do you want to take a break?" I softly asked her.

"Are you sure?" Mom asked.

"Yeah" I nodded.

Mom sighed and nodded, standing up from my bed with her phone in her hands.

"I'll be back in a few hours" Mom said.

I nodded as she kissed my forehead before walking out of the room.

Aria quickly closed the door and walked back over to us. The girls all looked at me and Hanna for some answers.

I glanced at Hanna and nodded at her, telling her to say it since I didn't really want to.

Hanna took a deep breath and looked at the girls, who looked at her, waiting for answers.

"Noel Khan is A" Hanna said.

The girls eyes widened in shock and jaws dropped. They looked at me and I nodded slightly, backing Hanna up.

"What?" Spencer asked, still in shock.

"Are you serious?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, me and Ethan saw him in the woods, and he left an A message" Hanna said and I nodded.

"You guys saw him leave a message?" Spencer asked.

"He wrote something on the back of a car window" I said, leaning my head against the pillow.

"What car? What did he write?" Emily asked, looking at me and Hanna for answers.

Hanna glanced at Aria and gave her a pointed look. I was confused as to why she was giving her that look.

I couldn't see who was in the car since I didn't have binoculars like Hanna did.

"I see you" Aria said.

Me, Emily and Spencer looked at her in confusion.

"How do you know?" Spencer asked.

"I was in the car" Aria said, looking anywhere but us.

"Whose car was it?" Spencer asked.

Aria glanced at all of us before looking at Hanna. Hanna shrugged at her, her arms crossed as she nodded, telling her to tell us.

Aria sighed and nodded, but she didn't make eye contact with any of us.

"Ezra Fitz" Aria said, finding the floor more interesting.

This made my eyes widen in shock and disbelief as my jaw dropped all the way to the ground.

"Mr. Fitz?" I asked, trying to make sure that I wasn't hearing things.

"Aria?" Emily asked.

"Hanna? Ethan?" Spencer asked, looking at the both of us.

I looked at my sister and shrugged, not really knowing what to say as I was still in shock.

We looked at Hanna for answers. I couldn't even give it to them since I couldn't see who was in the car. Hanna could since she was the one with the binoculars.

"It was Mr. Fitz" Hanna nodded, confirming that what Aria said was indeed true.

We all looked back at Aria, who was looking at us with a shy look, unsure of what to do or say.

I stared at her in complete shock and disbelief.

Aria, my best friend who's like a sister to me, is in a freaking relationship with our English teacher.

"You and Mr. Fitz?" Emily asked, sitting up.

"You met him there?" Spencer asked, waling over to stand next to Emily.

"The call you got at the party, that was from him?" Emily asked.

"I couldn't tell. I couldn't tell anyone. I promised Ezra" Aria said, walking closer towards us.

"Ezra? Whoa, hold it. This is something that's been going on?" Spencer asked, looking at her accusingly.

"You and a freaking teacher? A freaking teacher?" I asked, sitting up straighter in my bed.

"I didn't just get into his car last night. Who do you think I am?" Aria asked.

"How long have you been seeing him?" Emily asked, wanting more answers, pretty sure we all want answers.

Aria looked even more sheepish then before as she rubbed the back of her neck.

"Um...since right before school started" Aria said.

"Oh my god, since labor day?" Spencer asked, disbelief written all over her face.

I'm pretty sure there was disbelief written all over our faces. Considering that our best friend is in a damn relationship with a teacher.

"Ok, so you don't have a boyfriend in Iceland?" Hanna asked.

"No, I did. Yeah, but it's not like that" Aria weakly defended.

"You were seeing a teacher when I fixed you up with Noel?" Hanna asked. 

Aria looked at her and nodded. I honestly am not even sure what to say since I was still in complete shock.

Now this explains the glances they share with each other. The small smiles.

And this can explain why Mr. Fitz and Aria argued in class that time about the stupid book, or novel, he brought up.

"Oh my god, I fixed you up with Noel" Hanna whispered.

"And why did you get in his car last night?" I asked, going back to the previous subject we were on.

"Well, he, um, called me and..." Aria said, but stopped when she saw the looks on mine and Spencer's face.

"Oh, don't look at me like that" Aria said, crossing her arms.

I groaned and rubbed my head, feeling a headache coming on.

"My head hurts just as much as my leg now" I sighed, shaking my head, still trying to process everything.

"What exactly did you see?" Spencer asked, trying to change the subject of Aria dating our English teacher.

"I saw Aria get into a parked car and then I saw someone in a black hoodie write something on the back of the car window" Hanna explained.

"And when he turned around, it was Noel" I said, adding to what Hanna said.

Emily and Spencer looked shocked but Aria shook her head, not convinced.

And to be honest I'm not really convinced either.

"No, it can't be Noel" Aria said.

"Aria, we saw what we saw" Hanna said, giving her an annoyed look.

"Yeah, and A tried to kill them for it. My brother is lying in a hospital bed with a broken leg at the moment" Spencer said, walking over to stand beside me.

"Ok, but none of us saw who was driving the car" Aria said, still not convinced.

I nodded and opened my mouth to say something before we heard a knock at the door.

"Oh, if that's someone with painkillers, just let them in" I said, making Spencer gently rub my shoulder.

Aria walked over to open the door and see who it was.

When she opened the door, she gasped lightly.

"Noel" Aria said, glancing at us.

When she said his name the others became alert. Spencer scooted closer to my side, Hanna and Emily doing the same.

I fondly rolled my eyes at them but a smile appeared on my face when they did that. Aria stepped out of the room to talk to him, leaving me and the other girls.

We just remained quiet and waited for Aria to come back.

Only a few minutes passed and Aria came back into a room, a basket filled with treats and a teddy bear.

We all looked at her for some answers, only to see that she had a slightly shocked look on her face, trying to process what happened.

"He lied to me. About being there. He said he was with Sean" Aria said, placing the basket on the bedside table.

I sighed and leaned my head against the pillow.

I'm not really sure what to think right now, I just wanted to sleep at the moment, being stuck here all day makes me tired.

An Hour Later

When the girls left I remained in my room, considering I have a freaking cast and can't even go anywhere.

Since I was stuck in this room, I just played games on my phone, watched a few YouTube videos and ate some snacks from the gifts I got from people.

Right now I was reading a book Melissa and mom got me, while eating a chocolate bar dad got me.

In the middle of reading, I heard the door opening and I turned around to see who it was.

"Who's there?" I asked.

The door opened more and I smiled when I saw that it was Mona.

"Oh, hey Mona. I didn't know you were coming here" I said.

"I wanted to visit but I had to take care of a few things. And I went to the store to gather a few things and prepared a 'get well' basket for you" Mona smiled, gesturing to the basket in her hands.

I smiled at her and gestured for her to come in.

She smiled and closed the door as she walked closer to me, setting the basket on the floor, near the bedside table.

"When I heard about you getting hit by that car and when I saw the paramedics putting you into the ambulance, I immediately grew worried" Mona said.

I smiled softly at her and grabbed my bookmark, I placed it inside my book and closed it, setting it down.

"Well I'm just glad that Hanna is safe. Considering that car was coming towards the both of us" I said.

Mona fondly rolled her eyes at me and gently stroked my hair with her hands.

"I'm glad that Hanna is safe too. But I'm also glad that you're safe too. I don't know what I would've done if I lost you" Mona softly said.

"Don't worry, M. I'm not going anywhere, promise" I softly reassured her.

Mona smiled and nodded. She then let out a sigh, she then slipped her hand into mine, rubbing the top of it with her thumb.

"When Alison was alive, she was the queen bea. She bullied almost everyone and called them names. Me included. I mean, my nickname was loser Mona" Mona said.

I frowned at that and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

I love Ali, she's my best friend, but she really was a bitch towards many people.

"She had her best friends, who were a bit more like followers. They did what she told them to do, they followed her everywhere and agreed with everything she said. And they watched as she bullied us. They let her do it and never stood up for us, nor comfort us" Mona explained.

My frown deepened at that as I closed my eyes.

I love my sister and my best friends.

But I always hated that they were scared and intimidated by Ali that they let her bully people.

"Except for you" Mona said.

This snapped me out of my thoughts as I turned to look at her with raised eyebrows.

"You were the only one out of the girls that stood up for me and everyone Alison ever bullied and called names. You were never scared of her. And you would always comfort the ones she made fun of and cheer them up" Mona explained.

I gave her a small smile at that as she scooted closer to my side, still holding my hand.

"You were always there for me. No matter what you were always there. You were my first friend, my first real best friend" Mona smiled.

"What? But I thought Hanna-" I started but she cut me off.

"Ethan, while the girls sat back and let Alison bully me, you always stood up to her and defended me. Hanna wasn't my first friend, you were" Mona softly smiled.

This made me smile at her as I felt tears forming in my eyes.

I gently pulled her into a hug and she hugged me back, burying her face into my shoulder.

The Next Day

Being stuck in the hospital sucks.

I just wanted to get out of this damn room and go home. I hated being here.

Since I had nothing to do, I just took a nap to try and pass time before the girls arrived later in the afternoon.

I was still sleeping, when I heard footsteps, meaning that someone was in the room.

I slowly opened my eyes, groaning since I was still freaking tired and my head was pounding.

My vision was blurry but it cleared up slightly and I was able to see who was in the room with me.

And when I saw the person, my eyes widened and my jaw slightly dropped.

It was Alison.

My best friend. My dead best friend.

"Hey, Ethan. Did you miss me?" Alison softly asked, a smile on her face.

"Ali. They said you were dead" I said, trying my best to keep my eyes open when I felt myself wanting to go back to sleep.

"Yeah, I heard that too, but here I am" Alison smiled.

"What happened to you?" I asked.

I'm not sure if I'm dreaming or if by any chance this is real. But what I do know is that I need answers about what happened that night she went missing.

"It's complicated, Ethan. Really complicated, worse than algebra" Alison softly chuckled.

"What happened when you left the barn? We all wanna know" I asked.

"You already do. The four of you combined. You remember more about that night than you think you do" Alison said.

"Where'd you go? Did you meet a boy? Noel?" I asked, moving my head around.

"Noel? Please" Alison scoffed, shaking her head and rolling her eyes.

"Please, just tell me the truth" I said, practically begging.

I needed answers about what happened that night. Maybe it'll help me and the girls figure out who A is.

"It won't make any difference, darling" Alison softly said, shaking her head at me.

"How can you say that?" I asked.

"Because I know. You think the truth is some big shiny disco ball of purity. Then go ahead and try it. Be honest. See what it gets you. Telling the truth to the wrong person at the wrong time is how I ended up where I am" Alison explained.

She walked closer to me and gently placed her hand on top of my head, stroking my hair.

"Take it from me, you're always better off with a really good lie" Alison softly said.

I didn't really know what to say at that so I just nodded.

She looked at something before looking back at me, sighing.

"Gotta go" Alison said.

She gently kissed my forehead before walking away, but I called out to her before she could leave.

"Where?" I asked.

She turned around to look at me, a frown on her face.

"I was so scared that you were gonna die. That's why I came back. I didn't care how dangerous it was, I had to see you. I had to make sure that you were gonna make it" Alison softly explained.

She sighed and an angry frown made it's way onto her face.

"You know, I really should do something about A. That bitch is genuinely getting on my nerves" Alison angrily said.

She flashed me one last smile before turning around and walking out of the room.

I gave up on trying to stay awake and allowed my eyes to close as I drifted back to sleep.

A Few Hours Later

After getting some well deserved sleep, and trying to figure out if I had a dream or if it was real, the girls were now in my room.

Hanna, Spencer and Aria were standing while Emily was sitting on one of the chairs. Holding onto the teddy bear Noel got me.

Apparently she came out to her parents and told them she was lesbian. And by the look on her face, things didn't go well.

"You told them?" Aria asked.

Emily sighed and looked up, nodding her head.

"Yeah" Emily said.

"How was that?" Aria asked.

"Rough" Emily said.

Aria frowned and gently rubbed her shoulder, giving her some comfort.

"Hey, it's gonna be ok" Aria softly said.

"I don't know what it's gonna be, but it's gonna be different" Emily said, giving her a small smile.

"I guess so" Aria shrugged.

"Don't worry, Em. Just remember that no matter what happens we're here for you. We accept you for who you are. Just give your parents time" I softly said, flashing her a soft and comforting smile.

She looked at me and smiled, nodding her head.

"So, the whole tree?" I asked, turning to look at my sister.

Apparently Aria and Spencer had gone back to the tree with Alison and Ian's love message, only to find that it was gone.

"Yeah, lock, stock, and bird's nest" Spencer nodded.

"Why? Why show something like that and then just take it away?" Hanna asked, crossing her arms.

"Like A had a split personality" Emily said.

"That's great. Homicidal and nuts" I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

"We've been thinking maybe we're dealing with more than one person" Spencer said, making my eyes widen in shock.

"A and Ali's killer are two separate people?" I asked in disbelief.

The girls nodded and I shook my head, already done with this conversation and everything else.

"You are freaking out the invalid" I said.

"No, think about it" Aria said.

"No, you think about it. Aren't we in enough trouble? I know I am, just look at me" I scoffed, growing angry.

I'm so done with A. She, he or whoever they are just wants me to beat them up for what they're doing to me and the girls.

Aria sighed and looked down at my cast. But then her eyes widened in shock.

"Ethan. Ethan, who wrote this?" Aria asked.

"I don't know. People have been in and out all day, and so have I" I shrugged.

Aria looked at the girls and gestured to my cast. They looked down at it and their eyes widened in shock.

"Oh no" Spencer gasped.

"What? What? What's on there?" I asked, now becoming alarmed as I sat up straighter in my bed.

I looked down at my cast and my eyes went wide when I saw the message.

Sorry about losing my temper. My Bad.

Love, A

I looked at the girls, horror washing through my face as they began looking around.

"Who put that on my leg? Who wrote that?" I asked, looking around.

"Did somebody come in here while you were asleep?" Spencer asked.

"How would I fucking know? I was freaking sleeping remember" I snapped at her, clearly frustrated and scared.

"Ethan, calm-" Emily started but I cut her off.

"No, don't tell me to calm down. Not now. Just get it off! Just wipe it off!" I yelled.

The girls huddled around me. Spencer and Hanna were trying to calm me down while Emily and Aria began looking for something to get the message off.

I might be acting like a baby for freaking out, but I have every right to be like this.

Knowing that A was in my room and wrote on my damn cast worries the hell out of me.